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Selected Psalmswww.kathleendalton.comas you drive to work, or erase a chalkboard, or stand at the water coolerand talk.When I was a young Mom I asked God to help me read my Bible every day. It seemedno matter what I did, I always ended up the day without having even cracked it open.And by the end of the day I just wanted to sink into my bed, all thoughts of concentratingon something at that point were null and void.God gave me a plan. I look back now and call it “Three square meals a day”. I decidedto read my Bible as often as I ate. So I chose a book of the Bible to read my waythrough, and started on it in the morning. I would read a few verses, then ask God toplease bring those verses to my mind later in the day, then I would reach for the firstchild who needed to be dressed.At noontime I would read in either Psalms or Proverbs, again, just a few verses a day.And sometime in the late afternoon, for quite a few years that meant I did this whilenursing a baby, I would pick up my Bible again and take off where I left off in themorning. Just a few minutes. Just a few verses.The Lord took those wonderful years of three-time-a-day, “a little bit at a time”, andslowly began to change me. He taught me truths, convinced me of sin I needed to let goof, made me more loving and kind, and I can honestly tell you, as I look back, that I wasa happy woman. I had five little children, very little money, weighed more than I wantedto most of the time, didn’t have the cute clothes I thought I needed, never had time tomyself .but, contrary to what the unGodly of the world would predict, I was a veryhappy woman.Psalms 1:3-6 “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, thatbrings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither. Andwhatsoever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like thechaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not standin the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For theLord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shallperish”What does life look like for the woman who lives this way? Life is pleasant, cool,no thirst at all. Fruit comes forth at the right season. The things she is workingon are green, healthy. And she is prosperous.Does that describe you? Then keep delighting in God’s Word. Does it not describe you?Then begin to delight daily in God’s Word. When you start your day with God, listening10

Selected Psalmswww.kathleendalton.comto Him, taking direction from Him, then you have the ability to choose better what youlisten to, what you do, and what you say.The people who don’t know God, who don’t know how to walk with God, who don’thave a clue about getting up every morning and reading their Bibles .those people aredry and dusty (no matter how they look) and could be easily blown away by the first drywind. They are heading only toward judgment, and do not know daily happiness at all.No matter what your eyes tell you when you look at someone who “has it all together”, ifthey don’t have a daily time to read the Bible and listen to God, they are not happypeople. They have no idea what happiness truly is.I know it sounds too simple, but there it is. Will life really be radically different if I justget up every morning and fill my eyes and heart with the Bible? Yes.Will everything be perfect? No. Perfect comes later, in heaven. But happy – abidinghappiness - can be now - first thing every morning.EveningNow I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should diebefore I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.How do you usually end your day? Do you pray about the things which areweighing heavily on your heart? Watch a little TV and then slide in between thesheets and close your eyes? Lay in bed and toss and turn a little? Talk or laughwith your spouse? Check every sleeping child, make sure the stove is turned offand the doors are locked? Listen to the sounds of a silent house?Just before you close your eyes tonight, do this: Praise God.11

Selected Psalmswww.kathleendalton.comPsalm 150Psalms 150:1 “Praise the Lord!”I was thinking about this part of today’s lesson and wondering, “What does praiseactually look like?” For instance, if I count all my blessings, is that praise for God?Should I recall all the mighty things He has done in the past? Should I thank Him foreverything in my life?Psalms 150:1b “Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mightyfirmament”So I was sitting outside Friday night as the sky began to darken, and I looked up into theheavens. I saw the first star glimmer right up above me. In my mind’s eye I took a fewminutes to picture the fingers of Jesus placing that star in its position. I thought aboutHim creating the world. I looked around me at the trees and grass and wondered how Hewas able to picture a tree before there ever was one. I just thought about Him andthought about Him and thought about Him. That was praise.Psalm 22:3 says that the Lord’s throne is the praises of Israel. In other words, if you wantto praise Him in His sanctuary, just start praising Him. The place where you are praisingis the place where He dwells.Psalms 150:2 “Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according toHis excellent greatness.”One of the nice things about being my age is that you have lots of life history to lookback on. Lots of stories to tell. I can look back on our life together and remember somany times when God’s hand in our life was so visible. I have so many memories ofthings I can praise God for. I could just begin at the beginning, remember how Ken and Imet, how we dated and knew we were in love, how we planned together to serve God forthe rest of our lives. I can recall our first church, all the mistakes we made, but also allthe things we learned, all the people we learned to love even though we were still soyoung and selfish ourselves. I can remember the houses we lived in, and how we movedfrom place to place, always provided for. I remember the birth of each of our children,and how excellent the hand of God was in the miracle of a little person coming into ourlives. I could go on and on – but you get the point. There is truly no end to the things Icould praise God for – His mighty acts in my life.12

Selected Psalmswww.kathleendalton.comBut why stop there? Look at all the mighty acts of God we see recorded in scripture. Ifyou run out of things to praise God for in your life, the Psalms are filled with lists of thethings God has done. Look at Psalms 74:12-17, or Psalms 105:16-45, just for a start.Psalm 150:3-5 “Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet, praise Himwith the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance. PraiseHim with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals;praise Him with clashing cymbals!”Music. Put on a CD of your favorite praise songs. Pick up your guitar and hum a fewlines. Listen to some of the songs we sing from the Psalms:Psalm 8:1 “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth ”Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd, no want shall I know ”Psalm 25:1 “Unto you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul ”Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light, and my salvation ”Psalm 30:4&5 “Sing praise to the Lord, ye saints of His ”Psalm 32:7 “You are my hiding place .”Psalm 36:5&6 “Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens ”Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God ”Psalm 63:3&4 “Thy lovingkindness is better than life ”Psalm 84: 1,2,10 “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord almighty ”Psalm 89:1 “I will sing of the mercy of the Lord forever ”Psalm 95: 6&7 “Come let us worship and bow down ”Psalm 103:1 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me ”Psalm 118:24 “This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made .”Psalm 118:26 “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord ”Psalm 121:1&2 “I lift my eyes unto the hills, where does my help come from?.”Psalm 125:2 “As the mountains are around Jerusalem, ”Psalm 134:1&2 “Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord ”Psalm 139:23&24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart ”Psalm 150:6 “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord ”Psalm 150: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise theLord!”When Sarah went away to college, she chose Taylor University. Her sister, Beth, wasthere, and it was a great school. But she found, after one year, that Taylor didn’t quitemeet her needs. It wasn’t that it didn’t offer the major she wanted, and it wasn’t that it13

Selected Psalmswww.kathleendalton.comwasn’t academically challenging, and it wasn’t that it was too challenging. It was thatshe was still the youngest Dalton there. She wanted to be “Sarah” someplace, instead ofBeth’s sister, or Andy’s sister, or Chad’s sister, or Steve’s sister.She had a friend who had gone to a small, unknown (to us) Christian college in Phoenix,Arizona. It was really small. She nervously applied, hoping above hope that she couldtransfer there and finish up her education. Her friend, who had been there a year,jokingly told her not to worry about getting accepted. He said the school was in suchneed of new students that she would qualify if she could just “fog a mirror”. (she did, bythe way, get accepted)So use that as your mental picture for this last phrase for today’s lesson. If you can “foga mirror”, you can praise God.Start your day meditating on His word. End your day praising Him. Try it this week.You won’t believe the simple happiness you will experience when those two things arethe most important things you do each day.Psalm 150: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise theLord!”This is our memory verse for the week. Let it run through your head and your heartevery night.14

Selected Psalmswww.kathleendalton.comWeek #2“ God, I Miss You ”Psalm 139 – Questions for DiscussionPsalms 139:1 “O Lord, You have searched me and known me.”1. What does it mean to really “know” someone?2. How many people in your life really “know” you?3. Why so few?4. Do you feel like the Lord really “knows” you? (Psalm 44:21) (Psalm33:13-15)5. When did God begin to “know” you? Was it when you began to searchfor Him? (Psalm 63:1) (Psalm 14:1-3) (John 6:44)Psalms 139:2a “You know when I sit down and when I rise up ”6. Put this verse into your own words. When are you sitting down? Whenare you rising up?Psalms 139:2b “You understand my thought from afar.”7. How can God know what I am thinking? (Matthew 9:4) (Isaiah 66:18)15

Selected Psalmswww.kathleendalton.com8. Can Satan understand what I am thinking?Psalm 139:3 “You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and areintimately acquainted with all my ways.”9. If God knows my thoughts, and sees every step I take, do I have any chance ofkeeping a secret from Him?10. Why do any of us think, then, that we can?Psalm 139:4 “Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord,You know it all.”11. Would you say, from these verses, that God knows us better than we knowourselves? (Hebrews 4:13)Psalm 139:5 “You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Yourhand upon me.”12. What does this mean? Is it comforting or is it frightening?13. How should I react to this truth?Psalm 139:6 “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, Icannot attain to it.”Psalm 139:7&8 “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I fleefrom Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make mybed in Sheol, behold, You are there.”14. Some people hate and run away from this truth why? (John 3:20)16

Selected Psalmswww.kathleendalton.comPsalm 139: 9&10 “If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in theremotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Yourright hand will lay hold of me.”15. Is the writer changing his tune? Is God’s presence starting to sound goodto him? (Psalm 18:35) Is there something significant about God’s righthand? (Psalm 17:7, 18:35, 20:6, 44:3, 60:5) (Revelation 1:17)Psalm 139:11&12 “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, andthe light around me will be night.’ Even the darkness is not dark to You,and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike toYou.”16. Is there anyplace to which we can run to escape from God? Can we everbe in so much darkness that He cannot find us? What are some examplesof dark places where we might feel lost and separated from God?Psalm 139:13&14 “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in mymother’s womb. I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully andwonderfully made.”17. What is one good reason God knows me so well? (Psalm 71:5&6)Psalm 139:15 “My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made insecret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; ”18. What does this verse mean? When were you and I skillfully put togetherin the depths of the earth? (Genesis 2:7)17

Selected Psalmswww.kathleendalton.comPsalm 139:16 “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Yourbook were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yetthere was not one of them.”19. Who decided my birthday was going to be on January 20th, 1948, in LongBeach, California? When did God first know me? Was it at the time ofmy conception .or on the day of my birth .or some other time? Do allthese details really matter to God? (Ps. 87:6)20. What “book” is the Psalmist talking about? (Rev. 13:8, 20:15)21. When was the day of my death decided? What should I do because of thistruth? (Psalm 90:10-12)Psalm 139:17&18a “ How precious also are your thoughts to me, O God!How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they wouldoutnumber the sand. “22. How is the writer of Psalm 139 responding himself to these truths aboutGod?Psalm 139:18b “When I awake, I am still with You.”23. The Psalmist has come full circle.a. He started out realizing that God knows him better than he knowshimself.b. That thought was at first frightening, and the Psalmist wanted tosomehow hide himself from God.c. But then he began to realize how much he needed and wanted toknow God himself, and he felt comforted by how well God knewhim.d. Then he realizes that God has known him since before he waseven born, and that God had actually planned every day of his life,even knowing the day of his death.e. He responds to all of that with wonder, craving God evenmore and now .18

Selected Psalmswww.kathleendalton.comf. What is his next response?Psalm 139: 19-22 “O that You would slay the wicked, O God; departfrom me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against Youwickedly, and Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate thosewho hate You, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up againstYou? I hate them with the utmost hatred; they have become my enemies.”24. Wow! Where does all this hatred come from?Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me andknow my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, andlead me in the everlasting way.”25. What is the Psalmist’s final response to truths which nearly overwhelmhim?a. Psalm 19:9&10b. Psalm 49:2026. When any of us finally realizes the hugeness of God and His care forevery detail of our lives and the immensity of what we lost when webecame sinners, what can we possibly do?19

Selected Psalmswww.kathleendalton.comWeek #2“ God, I Miss You ”Psalm 139 – Discussion NotesThree simple questions will give you the key to studying the Bible: What does it say? What does it mean? What does it mean to me?No matter which passage you are looking at, if you thoughtfully ask and answerthose three questions you will find you are “getting something out of” your timein the Bible.“What does it say?” is usually just a matter of repeating the passage in your ownwords, just to be sure you are understanding what you read. All you are doing isobserving what is plainly there in front of you.“What does it mean?” is your time to ask questions – which will lead you tonotes in the margin of your Bible, or to your own understanding of how words areused, or perhaps to asking someone else with Bible knowledge. In this step allyou are doing is asking questions about the passage – making sure you dounderstand all the words and phrases which were being used, and trying to getyour arms around the way the original hearers of the passage would haveunderstood it.“What does it mean to me?” – well, that’s self-explanatory, isn’t it? Every wordwritten in the Bible was intended not only for head knowledge, but also for heartknowledge. In other words, the Bible is meant to change you – so with eachpassage it is good to ask: “What am I supposed to do because I have read andunderstood this?” You are applying.20

Selected Psalmswww.kathleendalton.comAs we talk through Psalms 139, you’ll notice that all of the discussion questionswe go through fall into one of the above categories: What does it say? What doesit mean? What does it mean to me? It’s not all that complicated, is it?Psalms 139:1 “O Lord, You have searched me and known me.”1. Put this phrase into your own words. (What does it say?)My own words? O God, you have figured me out.2. What does it mean to “know” someone? (What does it mean?)In my opinion, it means to understand what makes them tick to know howthey are going to react .to almost be able to predict what their attitude willbe about something. You get to know someone by being with them,observing them, liking them, wanting to know them better and better.3. How many people in your life really “know” you? (What does it mean?)Honestly, not very many. My husband knows me best. Then perhaps mychildren might be next in line. They are the ones I am most transparent with.And even when I’m not trying to be transparent, they spend the most timewith me, so they often see even what I am trying to keep hidden.4. Why so few? (What does it mean?)Why so few? Because it takes energy to have a relationship with someone,and you can only handle so many really close relationships. It just isn’thumanly possible to really “know” very many people. I’ve heard it said that aperson is fortunate to have just one or two true friends.5. Do you feel like the Lord really “knows” you? (Psalm 44:21) (Psalm33:13-15) (What does it mean to me?)Now we move from the realm of what works for human beings, into the realmof what works for God. God, according to the verse above, does have thecapacity to “know” everyone. To observe them, care for them, and knoweverything about them. Psalm 44:21 says He knows the secrets of the heart.What secrets do any of us have that we hope no one ever finds out about? Orwhat secrets do we have which we wish someone knew about? Psalm 44:21tells us God knows

Chapter-by-Chapter Bible Studies Selected Psalms Psalms 1, 150, 139, 22, 51, 120-135